The 5 Best Fish Fillet Knives [2023 Buying Guide]

The 5 Best Fish Fillet Knives [2023 Buying Guide]

Concluding a successful fishing trip could present the opportunity to prepare fish to be cooked. It is important to take care of your fish after it is taken from the water and transported to the kitchen. When starting to fillet a fish, I suggest using a cleaning knife to help cut through bones & skin as well as descaling the fish. When it comes to cutting fillets, having a quality and sharp fillet knife is very important. Top tier fillet knifes are needed to make precise cuts and feature qualities like sharpness, flexibility and grip.

For the best taste, fish should be cleaned and cooked soon after being caught. Since this cannot always be the case, fish can either be kept alive or gutted and stored on ice. If a fish cannot be kept alive, it is important to remove the guts, gills & entrails to avoid spoilage. Covering the fish remains on ice will keep the fish fresh and cool until you arrive back to land. Other methods can be considered to keep a fish fresh. For example, surf fishermen have been known to sometimes bury their fish in cool sand to maintain freshness. Methods of cleaning varies with the kind of fish and the size of the fish.

Before you make the decision to buy a knife for cutting fish, you must know the differences and small quirks between different knives. These knives aren’t the typical tools that are used for most food in your home kitchen. These blades were made to successfully help fillet fish in order to preserve the most fish meat for cooking. 


Dalstrong Fillet Knife 7” Flexible – Gladiator Series

q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B06XV3H7XL&Format= SL250 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=catchandfillet 20&language=en USir?t=catchandfillet 20&language=en US&l=li3&o=1&a=B06XV3H7XL

For a moderate price, the Dalstrong Fillet Knife will certainly get the job done. The knife was designed for all of your fish cutting needs such as de-boning, de-scaling, filleting, skinning, trimming and butterflying. As one of the top rated knifes on the market today, Dalstrong recently highlighted that over 75,000 professionals have made the Dalstrong Fillet Knife their primary tool for filleting fish. The Dalstrong brand is regarded with the highest respect among executive chefs and cooking professionals.

The Dalstrong Fillet Knife’s 1.5mm thickness promotes a clean and crisp slice through meat and sinew, skin and bone. This knife is highly flexible and very maneuverable. This imported German knife also carries the Dalstrong Difference 100% Satisfaction Guarantee – if you don’t love it, return it. With an award winning design, comfortable feel and laminated polish, this knife will enhance your culinary experience. Not only can this knife be used for fish cutting, it can also easily cut pork, beef and chicken. The perfect knife for all your meat cutting needs.


Mercer Culinary M23860 Millennia 8-inch Narrow Fillet Knife

q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B011I8MIE8&Format= SL250 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=catchandfillet 20&language=en USir?t=catchandfillet 20&language=en US&l=li3&o=1&a=B011I8MIE8

Mercer provides a quality brand of knifes at an affordable and fair price. Featuring a high quality Japanese carbon steel blade, this knife is easy to maintain and has rapid sharpening for a razor-sharp edge. The knife also has ergonomic handle for comfort and durability. As one of the lower-end priced knifes, this knife is still able to be considered one of the best and popular knifes on the market.

The ease of use when filleting a fish is helped by the knife’s handle. It has a fantastic grip with an angled finger guard. It is an effortless way to fillet both saltwater and freshwater fish. One negative to the Knife is that it does not come with a knife sheath. For a tool this sharp, it is essential to find a safe way to store this knife. Mercer offers a limited lifetime warranty for this product. 


Bubba Blade 9-inch Tapered Flex Knife

q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B011JHFIC2&Format= SL250 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=catchandfillet 20&language=en USir?t=catchandfillet 20&language=en US&l=li3&o=1&a=B011JHFIC2

The Bubba Blade features a non-slip grip handle with a full tang high carbon stainless steel titanium coated non-stick blade. This moderately priced knife is a well-respected knife within the fishing community. This knife is 15” overall in length with its 9” blade. This knife is easy to use, reliable, durable and convenient. 

I tend to store my fishing knifes is the garage or on the boat so stainless steel titanium knifes are my favorite. With this blade’s Ti-Nitride coated, rust resistant blade, it effortlessly handles all my fishing needs. The extra sharp tip of the blade makes the first cut into a fish fillet almost perfect each time. I have seen amazing reviews for this knife with some even claiming that the sharpness of the knife almost cuts like an electric fillet knife – that’s pretty incredible to claim. With that said, the Bubba Blade knife is well worth the price as it was created to ease the burden for fishermen.  


Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife with Sandvik Stainless Steel Blade

q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00EAL1HI4&Format= SL250 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=catchandfillet 20&language=en USir?t=catchandfillet 20&language=en US&l=li3&o=1&a=B00EAL1HI4

Morakniv offers an under $30 price for a really good and effective knife. As a stainless steel fillet knife and 6.1-inch blade, it can be used for all fish sizes. The slotted plastic sheath is easy to clean in the dishwasher and the holder has two belt clip sizes. Established in Mora, Sweden, Morakniv has been making cost-friendly knifes since 1891. A great knife for saltwater fish since it is resistant to corrosion.

Like other knifes already mentioned, the Morakniv Fishing Comfort Fillet Knife features a high friction grip to avoid any slips when using. This knife is also offered in a small 3.5-inch blade size. A smaller knife can be used for smaller fish or areas that require a finer cut. Regardless of the size, both of these blades provide great flexibility to probably fillet your fish.


Rapala Heavy Duty Electric Fillet Knife – Combo Set

q? encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01J49AW0U&Format= SL250 &ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=catchandfillet 20&language=en USir?t=catchandfillet 20&language=en US&l=li3&o=1&a=B01J49AW0U

Considered one of the best electric fish fillet knives available, Rapala’s heavy duty electric knife has great power for filleting numerous medium- to large-sized fish at once. When evaluating the difference between a traditional knife vs an electric knife, a good determinate is the number of fish that you will fillet in aa given time. Rapala claims that this knife is two times faster and three times stronger than most other electric knives on the market. 

Rapala offers this electric knife at a moderate price compared to others on the market. They even provide a one-year warranty. A concern for electric knives is the risk that they may overheat. This knife does not overheat and is great for those long days of filleting many large fish. Overall, if you are comfortable with electric knives, I strongly recommend this knife.

Conclusion

Different users will have their own experiences for which knife works best for them. A lot of it depends on what type of fish you are filleting. I find the ratings of knives to be pretty accurate and depict the quality of the blade well. At the end of the day, you want a knife that works well and is long-lasting. I prefer spending the extra money for a knife like the Dalstrong because I know that it will work effectively for a long time. Be sure to consult a good cook book on how to cook your fish!

More To Explore